Valkyrie
by Ghostina
Summary: (Sequel to Short Change Hero) Slade might be defeated but Talia al Ghul is still free and in the shadows. Nonetheless, Oliver has new allies, the city accepts him, and he has Felicity. He thinks his sister is safe… without realizing that Thea is specifically training with the League to go after Malcolm... This hard fought peace was just the calm before the storm
1. Rising

**Full Summary: **After the defeat of Slade, Oliver finally sees himself as the hero. Even with Talia still free and in the shadows, he's never been happier. He has new teammates, the city accepts him, and he has Felicity. He thinks his sister is safe from the remaining hunter… without realizing that Thea is specifically training with the League to go after Malcolm herself… So when the world finally comes crashing down, he wonders if the darkness inside each of them will finally consume them all. Olicity, Thea/Roy, Sara/Nyssa

**Warnings:** Violence, blood, but an overall T. If I feel it might get to a high T, I will have a warning posted prior.

**Pairings:** Oliver/Felicity (established prior in SCH); Thea/Roy; Sara/Nyssa (established)

**Season and Current Timeline: **Between Season 2 and 3, and an AU of Season 3 once it begins. This begins 2-3 months following Slade's attack on Starling

**Valkyrie:** From Norse mythology, a female figure who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Among the dead, they choose those they think are heroes to take to Valhalla.

**Chapter 1**

Talia was free and gone in the wind. Her whereabouts unknown, and there was some speculation on whether or not she had survived that night all those months ago. Sara and Nyssa had both assured Oliver that she was not with the League, and that Ra's had even normal League assassins attempting to track her.

Then there was Malcolm; he had also vanished that night against Talia and Slade, but unlike the elder al Ghul, Oliver did have a general idea of how the Merlyn was faring. Following Slade's imprisonment, Malcolm had called him from an untraceable number, though Felicity had assured him had he needed to- she could track it. The Dark Archer hadn't wanted to keep any of them in danger with one League hunter- Viper- and the daughter of Ra's al Ghul that he had kidnapped still in town. He had purposefully dropped off the radar, but to be certain of that, Oliver had Felicity erase any of traces that indicated Malcolm's current location and create a few false trails for the League to follow.

However with Talia, the League was a bit distracted. Sara had only called Oliver twice to assure him that she was safe, that Talia was free, and Viper only left the compound to track Talia's remaining men with the mirakuru. There was some rumor in the air that the assassin hunter had taken an apprentice, but no one was sure if there was any truth to that. Hunters trained apart from the rest of the League, and even Nyssa had no seen anything to indicate as such. Nonetheless, it was a rumor Oliver had to consider since his sister would be even more danger.

As a blood relative to Malcolm, the League had a right to take her life in recompense for his crimes, and without so much as a goodbye, she had run. At first, Oliver had been devastated to learn this, and he had tried to console Roy. The younger man did not understand what danger his girlfriend would have been in had she stayed, and he only saw that she had left him. Oliver eventually did come to understand why Thea had left as she did- goodbyes were difficult and he would have tried to stop her. She hadn't waited long to call and assure him she was safe and in some country in Europe. She had outright refused to tell him exactly where to protect him, but she was alive and free… that was, at least, something.

Considering all of that, Oliver was still happy. That night with the soldiers had been catastrophic, but the body count could have been astronomically higher, especially had the markov device gone off again. Even the news and a good chunk of the police force were attributing the lack of loss to the vigilante stepping in that night. When Oliver had set out to honor his father, he had never expected to go from a murderer in the people's eyes to a hero in theirs and his.

He could say he blamed Felicity for all of this; she had been the one to convince him that there was another way. However that would insinuate that he didn't like the change, and he did. Even with his company or lack of company in turmoil, life was looking up for the young archer.

Isabel had done a good job convincing the board to boot Oliver from the CEO position, but when it was revealed she had played a part in that night, the news had enjoyably ripped the board apart. It was rumored that perhaps his firing had not been justified, and she had manipulated the situation. The discovery of the markov, albeit deactivated, had suggested that Isabel had purposefully taken control of the company for access to the plans, and used them to favor her for Oliver's position. While it wasn't entirely true, Oliver wasn't about to correct the news either. It would help his case when he went after his own company soon to try and get hired back on.

The only real situation, besides Talia, was Amanda Waller. She had threatened to blow a hole into Starling City, and while she had apologized for the dangerous call, Oliver doubted she meant any of it. They had never seen eye to eye, but he now had Felicity and Diggle keeping a watch on ARGUS. Perhaps they were on the same side, but similar to Malcolm, ARGUS had a tendency to go for extremes. The last thing any of them wanted was for ARGUS to make another call like that…

Glancing up from his thoughtful meanderings, Oliver could see Roy sparring with Diggle. The younger man was struggling, but he was doing exceptionally better then when he had first joined. In the beginning, Oliver had been against having Roy with them. The boy was impulsive, quicker to let himself take a beating or to give one, and a real short temper… but he was also persistent. There had been a few close calls that Roy had shown up at and almost had gotten himself killed. It was at that point Oliver agreed only to help keep him alive.

With Lyla expecting, it actually worked out to have Diggle stay back sometimes and help train Roy. John wasn't thrilled by the arrangement, but crime was dropping, and criminals were getting desperate. Oliver wasn't going to risk his friend when he was about to be a father.

Next to Oliver sat Felicity. She was partially leaning against his shoulder, but her full attention was on her tablet. He wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but it probably was a sort of hack. The smile on her face suggested just that as did her furious typing as she tried to work around some firewall… or something like that. Oliver couldn't tell, and he wasn't about to ask. If he did, the next three hours would be full of her explaining it and stumbling over it. While it'd make him grin, he still had to go out tonight.

Little crime or not, China White had been eluding him the last few nights. Since her escape from lock-up, she had been working to try and re-establish the Chinese Triad as a formidable enemy. Oliver wanted to see to it that the organization stayed dead in Starling.

Squeezing Felicity's hand, he gently kissed her forehead and moved away. Her distraction was not broken though, so when he stood, she tilted over from where she had been leaning on him. Her groan and the tell-tale slam of her tablet told him everything he needed to know.

"I do expect you to work with the bag tonight," Oliver commented as he zipped up his hood and unhooked his bow. With the lack of hunters and Slade, they had moved back into the old Foundry. How the police hadn't discovered it back when the club had been trashed, no one was sure, but they had gotten lucky, that was certain. The club itself thankfully had been insured, so while severely damaged, it was under construction and would reopen in another month or so. The income would be appreciated since Oliver's fund was running low with how many computers he had owed Felicity by the time the League had left Starling.

"I will… once you go do you arrow thingy," Felicity explained as she re-opened her tablet to go back to whatever it had been. "I don't like when you watch."

"When I watch?" he asked, bemused, and he saw a faint blush run up her cheeks. She watched him all the time, and he wouldn't lie- he occasionally worked out a bit more then needed just because he liked when she did.

"Go do your hero business," she muttered trying to end the conversation.

Oliver grinned as he ascended the stairs, pushing the comm into his ear. She couldn't get rid of him that easy. Heading outside, Oliver slipped onto his bike and took off down the street. His original plan had been to drive through a few blocks known to be Triad territory, except there was a drug deal apparently going down near the docks tonight, or at least, that was what the police thought. If it remained calm, he wouldn't get involved, but if shots were fired, he'd step in.

In his ear, Felicity gave him directions to the drop. In the background, he could hear the police radio. By the time he arrived, she had already warned him that things had gone downhill fast. There was a massive gunfight, and the moment he had his bike parked, Oliver had joined the fray.

Police didn't actively approach him as he fought his way through the men, but they no longer shot directly at him either. It was an uneasy alliance so to speak, but it benefited both parties. Oliver's time as the Hood not only decreased crime but the loss of police life as well. When the old captain had wanted his head, the police had just been following orders, but now, with the job up in the air for new hire, the officers were much more lax with their thankfulness.

Shooting a few guns from hands, Oliver sprinted past crates attempting to catch the ring leader. Behind him, he could hear cops shouting for those that remained to get on their bellies, hands on their head. He didn't even chance a glance back as he ascended a crate and took to the higher ground. Notching an arrow, Oliver ran and lined up a shot with the intention of catching a leg when Lance, back to Detective now, came out from another direction and successfully tackled the man.

Lance glanced up to see the vigilante standing there, arrow being lowered; they shared a look before the Arrow nodded and moved away. He'd be long gone by the time they had this mess sorted and the evidence collected. He had places and other people, however few, to still hunt tonight.

Detective Lance had kept it to himself about what he had seen all those months ago. After all, he wasn't sure what it meant. In the back of his mind, he had always suspected Oliver Queen to be the vigilante, but the base being under the club was nothing solid. After all, Thea had been running it for a long time there, and Oliver had been under anklet that one time he had been suspected.

Thea obviously wasn't the Arrow as she hadn't been seen in months, and the whole fact she was… a she. But there was her boyfriend. Lance had seen the kid fight, and while it was nothing special, there was a possibility that had been done on purpose to sway suspicion.

In the end though, Lance knew he was just looking for excuses to believe that the once tabloid-famous rich playboy was now for certain a vigilante looking to atone for past mistakes. He wasn't sure what could be worse: the fact his youngest was an international assassin or the fact Oliver was the Arrow.

Oliver touched his comm and listened briefly to Felicity commenting on how nice it was that the police were no longer enemy number two. For the longest time, they had been just as dangerous as the people he liked to cross off the List. It was a nice change of pace to not be shot at by the cops.

With his business finished here, Oliver had Felicity try and find a link from this drug trade to China White. They hadn't looked Chinese Triad, but perhaps, the organization was recruiting. If they weren't, he'd have no lead for tonight, and while he could call it an extremely early night, he didn't have any intention of doing that.

If he couldn't go after the Chinese Triad, he'd go after someone on the List again. Written by Merlyn or not, it was still a compilation of people who had done the city wrong, and they needed to be let know how they had failed the city. By now, a house visit by him was more than enough for most to immediately do whatever he said. Little work or not, it still made a difference, and that was all that mattered.

Oliver didn't need to shoot arrows or drop bodies anymore to feel like he was making a difference.

…..

Halfway around the world in places unknown, Talia sat eyes unblinking, breath slow. Her attention was focused solely on the wall of the hotel room in front of her. Somewhere behind her, the voices lurked and the images taunted. They begged and pleaded with pain while others whispered pleasure and plans. Either way, she ignored them.

Her men would not listen to her if they thought her insane. The mirakuru had made her strong, but the side effects could be debilitating at times. During those times when those from her past made themselves known, she had to meditate. The only way she would be able to convince Ra's of her plans, of her goal was if she was in a single state of mind. Talia was not insane. She had a vision; she just had to make him see it.

And all of this required patience and for her to focus past the victims of her previous jobs. There was so much to do, and so much to plan. However, now, she had the greatest news. One of her men had succeeded at the loss of his life… by her own hand, of course. She couldn't have him spreading this to the others. They could mutiny, and for what she wanted to do, she needed them as one team. It was the only way she would be able to overthrow her enemies… Oliver Queen, Thea, Malcolm, ex-teammate that stole everything from her… A maniac grin lit up her face as she stared down at the small vial of innocent looking water and the note attached…

_Lazarus_

**Note:** Welcome back after a very, very short break. I know mostly a prologue, but hey, I want to catch people up. We are going to hit the ground running if some of you couldn't tell. For those that recognize what I'm going with here- thumbs up. Those that don't, I won't spoil it. I will say, I am going to tone it down so it's not too outside the realm of possibilities.

Anyway, I hope this chapter answered some of those burning questions you all had at the end of Short Change Hero. I will say now- I probably will only update once a week (at least once). I'm exceptionally busy, so it won't be like SCH with an everyday thing. Anyway, welcome back and enjoy!


	2. Dominos

**Chapter 2**

Oliver leaned hard on his bike, attempting to keep himself on the road. The car next to him though was making that damn near impossible as it tried to run him off onto the sidewalk for the fourth time. Deciding enough was enough, he slammed on his brakes, causing the car to swerve uncontrollably onto the wasn't how he wanted to end his night. He would have preferred to find the Triad or work with Felicity, but he couldn't just ignore what Felicity had told him about the people he now chased.

Gas revved up, Oliver dressed as the Arrow gave continued chase. Thankfully, it was dead of night, so there was a definite lack of population. As it was, he wasn't comfortable with how intense this chase had become, but the man in the car had semi-automatic rifles. If Oliver didn't stop him tonight, then those guns would flood the street. His presence as the vigilante had caused many petty criminals to want to arm themselves more seriously.

He knew he was pushing too hard every night as the vigilante, but without a business, he wanted to spend his time doing something. He had a business meeting… sometime this week… Cursing himself in his helmet, Felicity thoughtfully reminded him of the time, which was tomorrow. He had to finish this up quickly then if he wanted to get any sort of sleep for tomorrow. Shifting to a higher gear, Oliver sped up alongside the car.

…..

Sara and Nyssa sat huddled together, rain soaking them to the bone. If it was up to either of them, they would have found a nice dry hotel room to spend the night in, but Ra's had been adamant about this target. So much so that he had pulled his youngest from her hunt for Talia and had placed her on this with Sara.

It was supposed to be a quick job, in and out, but it was Sara's first time back out as an actual League member. Up until now, she had stayed in Nanda Parbet, training and honing her instincts again. Nyssa hadn't pushed or asked about Sara's partial reluctance to head back out. The young Lance had made her opinion about killing well known when they had faced off in Starling.

Now though, Nyssa could only hope Sara was ready. Her father would not accept failure, but one look told the al Ghul all she needed to know. The hard look under the hood, the tight grip on her staff- Sara was more than willing and ready for this. Some reluctance could be seen in her stance, but that was due in part to how hard this target had been to track.

They knew little about him, but what they did know had not indicated that he would be able to slip under the radar of two highly trained assassins. Right now, this street off some club avenue was the best lead they had.

Lightning streaked behind them, and unconsciously, Nyssa and Sara shrunk back into the shadows farther. Neither of them wanted to stay one more night in this city let alone country. Sara wanted to return to training and watch what Viper was up to. The hunter had been hard to follow, but the only place to retrieve any information was at the training grounds. If the hunter was going after Thea, Sara wanted to be around to stop the assassin. Thea was practically her sister as well, and Nyssa knew this well.

Nyssa, on the other hand, wanted to return to Nanda Parbet to track the traitor. Ever since Starling, the League had become a darker place. Things had gone quiet, and it went accepted that there were still traitors among them. Ra's had done his best to weed out the few he had found, but there had to be some left nonetheless. It was the only explanation as to why Talia had continued to be one to three steps ahead of the League at any one time. Until Talia was caught, things would not unwind at the compound… then finally, there was what Alec and Nyssa had spoken on a few weeks prior…

The only thing that hadn't changed was what Nyssa and Sara had felt for one another. At the League together, they had rekindled a lot of lost time, and while occasionally a rift formed due to a difference in opinion, they hadn't been closer. It was good considering how much they needed each other with how everything else was going. The League was also their family- Sara's too- and for it to be in such a state of disarray hurt them both.

"There," Sara whispered breaking the utter silence between them. A few stories down and away was a single man looking somehow out of place yet completely comfortable with his surroundings nonetheless. His limp was a dead giveaway though, and Nyssa stood, bow in hand. "I'll head around," she continued, catching Nyssa's eye for a moment. The al Ghul reached out and brushed hair back into Sara's hood. It was an odd look for the blonde, but with the rain, another necessity.

Nyssa wanted to warn Sara to be careful, but the words were unneeded so they went unsaid. They shared a brief look, and then, the Canary had vanished from the roof. Nyssa didn't waste any more time as she turned on her heel and notched an arrow.

On the abandoned streets below, the man had already disappeared, but this time Nyssa had a faint idea of his direction. Running along the edge, she jumped to the next building, following the street perfectly. When they actually killed their target, it would be a good night.

…..

Malcolm stuck as close as one could to the shadow casted by the forest; it was a risk coming here, a necessary one. With everything going on, he had silently hoped that they would be too distracted to notice his presence. The League had a firm grasp on the lands that Ra's considered to be his, but Talia had proved herself useful in pulling the gaze of the League elsewhere.

Most, if not all, assassins that left the compound were heading out on leads to search for the elder al Ghul. From his current position, he had seen only a mere handful of the League's coming and goings, but his informant inside the League had helped for him to fill in the missing pieces. However his information on the hunter was still utterly lacking.

Since her return to Nanda Parbet as the sole hunter, Viper had not been seen leaving, but that didn't mean much. Malcolm knew how many different entrances that the mountain could have, and it would stand to reason that the hunters would have their own easy way in and out. He had hoped that after Talia's betrayal though that Ra's would seal off many if not all of those.

His luck hadn't lasted that long though; nonetheless, he hadn't been found yet. Soon he'd have to push on and either find another spot to observe the League or head out on his own for a few weeks to try his own hand at finding Talia. She held grudges, and she would be a threat to Oliver and Thea still, traitor to the League or not. Alone and cut off, he had a better chance of surprising the elder al Ghul and perhaps killing her. That'd leave just Viper to be dealt with.

However if the latest rumor was true… Hunters never trained other League members, but his informant had been adamant that Viper had been working with someone. He hadn't known who it was, and Malcolm couldn't even figure who Ra's would have allowed the assassin to take under her wing. Most adult League assassins were too set in their ways to try and adapt to the hunter's style, and all hunters were born basically into their niche. It worried him to some degree that his enemy was now enemies, and he had little to go on. At least with Talia, he had an idea of what to expect with her. Alec's apprentice was entirely unknown, and he didn't like where that left him.

Malcolm let out the breath he had been holding- easier said than done. Pulling his cowl down across his face, he set off on his trek to meet with his informant again. Hopefully, the boy had more to offer on this round then last time. A single ineligible word scrawled on a piece of paper meant little to him, but the boy had been thrilled with the find. Malcolm had made it quite clear- details on either Alec or Talia… nothing else was worth his time, and if the boy failed… then, it wouldn't be much of a loss.

The elder Merlyn had a back-up plan and informant, and while she had been out of touch the last week or so, she had been more useful to him. Nonetheless, Malcolm never placed his chips all in one corner, but he wouldn't take lackluster work either.

Talia and Viper were a constant and ever-looming threat, and he had to do whatever was possible to even the field between them.

…

Oliver left the van where he had run it off the road. No one died or was seriously hurt, but they wouldn't be handing out any guns to the citizens of Starling anytime soon. In his ear, he could hear Felicity giving him a timetable for when the police would arrive; there wasn't any chance that the unconscious men would wake up prior to that.

"So dinner?" Oliver said perfectly interrupting whatever inappropriate phrase Felicity was in the middle of saying. She sputtered a few times, and he could imagine the blush on her face. He hadn't turned off his voice modulator, and he knew she hadn't gotten use to the dual relationship they sported- the one between Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen, and the one between her and the vigilante. They had to be careful or they'd risk exposing his secret; currently few people knew Felicity worked with the Arrow, but if they figured out that she was seeing him, her safety would be even more at risk.

"Chinese?" Oliver continued, and when she didn't respond quickly enough, he followed with, "Italian then."

She huffed_, "Isn't it a bit late for dinner? Most places don't serve after… eleven. Dinner is usually eaten at dinnertime."_

"I know a few good places open," he said trying not to pout.

_"And shouldn't you be getting sleep for tomorrow?"_ she responded in his ear. He had a giant presentation for Queen Consolidated after all in an attempt to get it back; he had a good case since the reason he had been kicked off was fraudulent. He hadn't done anything with the markov data, and he hadn't covered it up. As long as they listened and he did well, he hoped he'd have control of his father's company by the end of the week.

"I'll sleep after," he smiled as he threw a leg over his bike. It went unsaid that he'd probably crash next to her tonight. Some nights he'd sleep at the Foundry, and there were nights she'd join him… but he had promised her tonight they'd go back to the mansion. It was half-empty and a bit lonely there since he couldn't afford any of the staff, but it was home… a bit less so than the island, but Felicity had made it clear she wasn't going to sleep on the dirt… or mines.

"Felicity?" he asked into his helmet when there wasn't much of a response. Usually she always had something to stumble over; it was part of her charm. As he weaved through traffic, four cops cars swarmed by him without a second glance in his direction. "Felicity?" he repeated, worry etched into his tone. The Foundry had been compromised not so long ago, and while he doubted that those that knew the location would be back into town so soon, he didn't like her not responding.

On the other end of his ear piece, he heard the tell-tale sign of a phone dropping, and he tried not to think what would cause Felicity to drop one of her favorite gadgets after her computer. He revved his bike in an attempt to rush back to the Foundry, but when she spoke, he had to stop for a moment to fully consider her words.

_"Oliver,_" she practically whispered. "_Barry's awake._"

**Note:** I know this is two weeks late… *hide* I'm sorry! For those that don't know (and crappy excuse I know), I'm in vet school. I literally just had six exams the last two weeks, so sleep has been minimal with all my studying. I have a week off before my next batch, so I want to get this chapter up along with a Lessons chapter (Fear… it will be her first lesson. So that one will take place directly after SCH and a bit before chapter 1 here).  
>And yes, I am planning to crossover the Flash with this, and I do want to pull in a few more heroes and villains from the DC universe. I have a favorite I want to see in Arrow, so fingers crossed…<p> 


	3. Lessons: Fear

**Fear**

Thea stood alone in the room, unmoving and eyes focused solely on the floor. She hadn't been ordered to stay here, but based on the shouting in the nearby room, Thea could tell her presence wasn't expected nor appreciated. At least she wasn't dead yet, so there was always that she supposed silently. She tried not to flinch as he voices raised again in some other language beside English; the only few things she caught were mentions of her name, Alec's, and who she thought was Nyssa. She had thought she would hear her father's name once in a while, but then again, Viper had kindly explained that in the League there came a time for a new identity and thus new name… one in whatever language Viper was shouting at Ra's.

The temple was empty on this level, so the yelling resonated. When it finally died down, Thea wasn't sure whether to be grateful or terrified, and she tried to swallow it down when Ra's al Ghul himself appeared from some side room with Alec. The hunter was scowling and didn't directly meet Thea's eyes. The pair stalked over to Thea, who continued to keep her gaze on the floor and hide what exactly she was feeling.

Ra's considered the slip of girl in front of him, and he sneered at the sight of the deer trying to hide her fear. He allowed the silence to ring for a few moments longer before asking, "Who are you Ms. Merlyn?" He clasped his hands calmly behind his back and chanced a glance at his remaining hunter. Alec refused to meet his gaze, and while it was obvious she wasn't thrilled by his methods, she was perfectly accepting of them. It was a question, after all, asked of almost all League member's at some point.

At first, Thea didn't even realize she had been spoken to until she noticed Ra's waiting for an answer. Gulping, she tried to wet her lips in an attempt to response, but her throat was as dry as a desert. Her feet were as frozen as her lips, but she did find it in herself to glance up to see his steely gaze. When he repeated his question and that last name, she found it in herself to growl, "I am not a Merlyn."

"Perhaps but you share his blood do you not?" Ra's continued. "You understand what is being asked of you?"

"I'm not an idiot," she mumbled.

"And yet you stand before me," Ra's responded, one of his hands coming to rest on his sword. "I am sure our code was explained to you." He circled Thea slowly and purposefully. "You should be dead or screaming for death."

Before Thea could blink, Ra's had his sword out, and the blunt handle was slammed into her forehead. She stumbled and fell back, pushing away from the demon as quickly as she could. When she glanced towards Alec, she saw that the hunter was standing purposefully stoic. Apparently the hunter had no intentions of interfering. Nonetheless, Thea wanted to cry out for help, but she gritted her teeth and reached for a dagger that Alec had given her instead.

"Stay away from me," she hissed, holding it in front of her. She wasn't even sure she was grasping it properly, but she tried not to dwell on that as Ra's stopped mere feet from her. A smile played upon his lips.

"Viper…" he said. "See to this." His sword slid back into its sheath, and he turned away. The hunter brushed past her master and knelt next to Thea, adjusting the girl's grip on the knife. "I expect results."

"As you command," Viper said as Ra's strode from the room. He had no more business here, and for the privacy, Alec was grateful.

"What was that?" Thea growled, uncertain of what just occurred.

"Your interview," Viper explained. "Not everyone can simply join the League, and there is no such thing as simply joining the hunters. You are a first." All hunters prior had been born or recruited at a young age… then again, such a betrayal had never occurred either.

"So I had to be hit over the head by a psycho?" she growled, but Viper wasted no time in smacking Thea hard across the face.

"Ra's is our master, and you will show him respect," she growled. "He did not have to allow you the chance to forgo your own execution, but he did. Be grateful he only bruised you." Each word came out hissed, and Thea forced her eyes to the ground. "He could have killed you, and I would have been able to do nothing." With that, Viper stood and offered Thea her hand. "But you made it through, and now the real training can begin."

…

Thea tried not to shudder as she thought on her new quarters; it was literally a hole in the wall with a single bed and bathroom. There was a lack of privacy from it all, but Viper had wasted no time in explaining that in this place only hunters roamed… and currently, Viper was the last one besides some children, who still trained upstairs. She would be utterly alone in here, and she felt it.

For the first time since leaving Starling City, Thea wondered if she had made the correct decision even if it was her only one. She wasn't about to die for the man that claimed to be her father… no, hers died on that boat six years ago… but looking around, she couldn't help but wish there had been another way.

On the back wall near her cot sat her new training clothes, loose and dark with a face mask included. Knowing Viper wouldn't want to be kept waiting, she wasted no more time in changing out of her old clothes, the last remnants of her past identity, and switching into what would soon help her forge a new persona.

Grabbing the sword, Thea moved back out into the large stone atrium to see Viper was already stationary, one foot raised and eyes closed. Even from where she stood, she could see the hunter deep in thought and completely focused on her task. Unable to help herself, Thea snatched a loose stone from the floor and threw it, rather precisely, at the hunter.

Without missing a beat, Viper fell back, landing solidly on her back but completely dodging the stone, before she vaulted forward and back to her feet. Now, Alec's eyes were open and focused entirely on Thea.

"Good you're dressed," Viper commented, drawing her own sword, and Thea felt her grip falter. "We can begin."

"Wait, wait, wait," Thea said as the hunter stalked towards her. "Isn't there a beginning's class? I mean you're not going to just come…" She didn't get to finish as the hunter closed the distance and easily disarmed Thea. The younger Queen found herself flat on her back, clutching her arm. There was a small nick, but it wasn't anything serious.

"This is the beginning," Viper growled kneeling before Thea. "What do you feel?"

"Excuse me?" she responded.

Viper rolled her eyes and spun out with a solid kick to Thea's side. "Simple question that requires a simple answer."

Thea groaned, rolled in, and glared at the hunter. "What are you doing?" For her lack of answer, she was struck again. This time she pleaded with the hunter to stop; this wasn't what she signed up for. When she went to crawl away, Viper snatched her foot and dragged her roughly back. This caused Thea to lash out with her foot with which Viper easily snatched then twisted. The hunter kept the pressure tight but did not push it further; the last thing Alec wanted to do was to injury her newest trainee on day one… especially since the next days would be so much worse.

"It's a simple question," Viper hissed.

"Stop!" Thea half pleaded and half growled. It was a step in the right direction.

"Then answer the question. What do you feel?"

When Viper moved to hit her again, Thea called out, "Anger. I'm angry!"

"Exactly," the hunter grinned and stood. She hauled Thea to her feet. "You're angry because you're here, and you're stuck because of him." Him did not need defining. "And what about Ra's al Ghul? What did you feel when he was around?"

Ashamed but unwilling not to answer, Thea responded, "Fear… I thought he was going to kill me."

"But you overcame that to draw that dagger I gave you," Viper pointed out, and Thea hadn't considered it in that light. "These are two expected emotions, anger and fear, not only in yourself but those we will hunt."

Thea didn't entirely understand the point yet, but as Viper positioned her feet to create a stable base, she didn't reply. Instead, she allowed her new teacher to continue as she could see there was probably a point to all this. Viper did not seem to her that type of character to not be rational about situations.

"Useful but dangerous emotions," the hunter explained. "Our prey will attack without reason and can be woefully unpredictable." Meeting Thea's gaze, Viper continued, "What's worse is when you feel these yourself."

"So I need to overcome my fear and rage?" Thea summarized, and she watched as the hunter shook her head negatively.

"No, these two emotions give you the will to live," Viper corrected. "Hence why you're here and why Ra's did not kill you." It was a simple test given to all League members after they had proven their worth, but for hunters, it was an even harder test… something Thea would come to learn eventually. The final test for a hunter delved deep into control, not that Thea could know this yet. Viper could not give her this final one until it was deemed her time.

"Then I don't…"

"You need to learn to accept them, let them drive you, but do not let them consume you." Viper twisted Thea's hips then had her raise her fists. "I am going to teach you just this. I am going to give you the control you seek."

"And when I've done that?" Thea asked unable to help herself.

"Then I'll teach you to turn this on others… and to kill," Viper explained before launching into a full explanation of how to throw a proper kick and punch.

It was back to the basics for Thea, but she learned quickly that Viper had no intention of keeping the learning curve anything less than steep. She realized that the only reason Viper even stopped to show her this was to prevent her from hurting herself in their future workouts. She still did not see how Viper would help her control her anger… fear, she could handle… but she wasn't sure how to let go of the rage she held for Malcolm; however according to Viper, the only way she'd get out to hunt him was to do just that. Viper explained with ease that it was the fear that they, as hunters, instilled in other members that kept them in line.

Fear had its benefits as did anger, but they were dangerous tools nonetheless. Irrationality was the cost, but a rational man was far more dangerous. People who could consider the situation were much more likely to come over it.

"So while they're dangerous, it's better to face them as such?" Thea summarized to which Viper nodded.

"People who act unpredictably also cannot predict what you will do in turn," Viper explained.

Thea chuckled, "Like playing with fire?"

"Exactly," the hunter grinned as she continued on with her lesson. "Those we cannot keep in line with our reputation alone soon learn where it is born from." It went unsaid exactly what that meant- the blood, the deaths, the torture… all of it Thea would learn, and she would learn to accept it and keep it from controlling her… or she would fail

And that was something Thea was refusing to let happen. Thea could see her life laid out as a line in front of her; she could see the path she would need to follow to get to what she wanted and needed. Gone was the hesitation, and in its place was the necessary will to fight.

**Note:** Yeah… I've been gone, but hey, I'm back (sorta). This isn't abandoned- just school work and injured arm. I promise as holidays approach I'll get more into this again.  
>Now for those like Season 3… what will I do? I am going to incorporate some of season 3 in (since my version of season 2 sort of already did), but not all of it. I know some of you are probably like but what about episode 1 of season 3?<br>I'll just state it now- no she's not going to die. Wicked idea for the show, but I don't think I'll do it here. I might leave it open so that something like that could happen, but I'm not going to incorporate that scene.

Next chapter, return to Oliver, catch up with the Flash, and see maybe who Nyssa and Sara are chasing.


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